


Let Your Fists Subside

by lovedeterrence



Category: Persona 4
Genre: M/M, literal angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-23
Updated: 2014-08-23
Packaged: 2018-02-14 08:29:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2184846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovedeterrence/pseuds/lovedeterrence
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dojima visits Adachi in prison, bringing along something from Nanako.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Let Your Fists Subside

Another day, another visit.  
  
Adachi couldn’t wrap his head around it. Why would Dojima keep coming back? Why? He had gotten his only daughter kidnapped and almost ruined the lives of everyone those people cared about. It pissed him off. It was illogical, irrational. There was nothing to gain from visiting Adachi. Did they just want to see him suffer? Maybe they did. Perhaps Dojima liked coming here, seeing where his piece of shit partner ended up.  
  
He cracked his knuckles and paced around his cell. Dojima was also running late. It had been an hour since lunch, and normally he would have been here thirty minutes ago. Maybe the old man finally learned. He would have pushed away one of the last people that gave a damn about him. Good riddance, right? He bit his lip staring at the bars of his cell and then resumed pacing.  
  
Twenty minutes later. Where the _fuck_ is Dojima? His hands knotted in his hair as he inhaled. He plopped on his bed, head bowed. He learned. He doesn’t give a shit. Adachi forced a relieved sigh. It was the only logical thing to do, and he didn’t blame Dojima at all. Right? He crossed his legs and bit his nails. Another fifteen minutes passed. He wasn’t coming. He had given up on Adachi. Maybe he had seen something in the younger man, but whatever it was, he decided that it was nonexistent. There really wasn’t any good left in Adachi. It was too late. He had bitten his nails down to his fingers.  
  
“Dojima’s here.”  
  
Adachi’s head perked up and he felt his heart speed up. _You idiot. How fucking pathetic can you get?_ Dojima wouldn’t just skip a chance to come see how terrible his ex-coworker was doing. He was certain of it. But he had to jump to the worst conclusion, as always. The guard opened the bars to his cell, escorting him to the usual spot.  
Ryotaro Dojima looked as stoic as ever, but Adachi knew that expression was a facade. He had too many experiences with his own facades to not be able to recognize one on the spot. He sat down in the designated chair, looking up at Dojima.  
  
“Dojima-san… you’re late.” Adachi couldn’t keep the accusatory tone out of what was supposed to be a matter-of-fact statement.  
  
“Keeping track now, are we?”  
  
“Shut up,” Adachi scoffed. It was a bizarre feeling, telling Dojima to shut up. The words felt unnatural on his tongue when he would normally not have a problem saying them to any other person.  
  
Dojima raised an eyebrow, a small smirk appearing on his lips. Adachi missed that smirk. It brought him back to playful arguments, and much less innocent things. He bit his lip. Damn, he missed that too. The older man knew Adachi well, too well. He even knew Adachi’s true self well from these prison visits. Why the fuck did he keep coming back?  
  
“I know I’m usually not late, but Nanako insisted…” his voice trailed off.  
  
Dojima held up something that caused Adachi’s heart to sink. It was a drawing. He could make out the people in the picture fairly well. Yu, Dojima, Nanako herself, and Adachi. There were a lot of flowers. A bright sun was drawn in the corner. He bit his lip. What the _hell_? That idiot kid… didn’t she realize he was the bad guy? She was kidnapped indirectly because of him. What was this? Idiot fucking kid. He wasn’t a part of their happy little family. He was a dangerous criminal. What did they want from him? Did they want him to feel guilt? Why did Dojima let her do this? “Draw Adachi a picture. Make him suffer.” It was just a damn picture, but it tore at him more than anything had since he was lying on that stretcher, realizing that Ryotaro Dojima genuinely cared for him. And now this.  
  
Adachi was speechless. He couldn’t even begin to explain the anger building inside of him. What was he angry at? Not himself. It was them. They did this. They wanted to break him down when he was already at his lowest point. That’s what was going on here. He hated them. Fuck them all.  
  
“Adachi…” Dojima was giving him a concerned look. He probably had an inkling of what was running through the man’s head.  
  
Adachi blinked. He knew his crazed expression must have shown on his face even for a split second. Not allowed. He gave Dojima the most sincere fake smile he could manage. “Tell Nanako I said thank you and that it’s a lovely drawing.”  
  
Dojima gave him the most intense frown. “Don’t pull that shit with me anymore.”  
  
“Pull what, Dojima-san?” he scratched his head.  
  
“All of that, Adachi,” Dojima turned his head, irritated. “I thought we were done lying to each other.”  
  
Had Adachi lost his touch? Acting talent was about all he had going for him. Oh, and smarts. What a joke.  
  
“I’m not…”  
  
“Shut _up_ , Adachi.”  
  
Adachi opened his mouth to retort with some kind of falsity about how he meant what he said, about how he really was grateful to Nanako, but instead he lowered his head, staring blankly at the floor. The pair sat in silence.  
  
“Dojima-san…” Adachi never could bode well with silence, even when he was faking.  
  
“No more crap anymore, Adachi. Promise me.”  
  
His instinctive reaction was to lie. Lie and agree, perhaps seem a little sad over it so Dojima would for sure buy it. Why should he lie to manipulate Dojima to stay with him? Lying to get him away from Adachi would be significantly easier. He would scare him off.  
  
“You’re the problem here, _Ryotaro._ ” His voice was filled with all the rage he had been suppressing. “We don’t work together anymore. I betrayed you. And it’s fucking hilarious. Am I that irresistible to the point where you keep coming back? You want me to make a promise to you? I could easily break it. I don’t give a shit about any of you. Get out of my sight.”  
  
His gut clenched at his words and the look of hurt that crossed Dojima’s face. Maybe he did it. Maybe he would leave him. Adachi forced himself to feel false relief as he looked at Dojima expectantly.  
  
“I said not to lie.”  
  
Adachi wanted to slam his fists against the glass.  
  
“I’m sorry to leave you like this, but…”  
  
Adachi’s mouth opened. He nodded slowly. His eye twitched. He repressed a scream.  
  
“I have to head back into work.”  
  
There was a long pause as they stared at each other. Adachi took in Dojima like this was the last time he would see him.  
  
“I’ll be back next week, alright?” He stood up, looking at Adachi with a tenderness that confused him, disgusted him, and made his stomach do backflips all at once. He felt his cheeks heat up. “You’ll always belong with us. I hope you can understand that someday.” Dojima scratched his head as though embarrassed at what he just said and turned around.  
  
When Adachi was escorted back to his cell, the guard handed him the drawing from Nanako. He wanted to crumple it up and rip it to shreds. He gulped, biting his lip and looking at a blank space on the wall next to his bed.  
  
“Guard, can I get some tape?”

**Author's Note:**

> title from watercolor by pendulum!


End file.
